Flexible grip for a golf club and method of making same

ABSTRACT

A flexible grip of elastomeric material for a golf club is disclosed. The grip has a groove or pocket therealong on the inner surface and an aperture through the closed end of the grip coincident with the groove. Upon installation of the grip onto the club shaft, a rigid strip is inserted through the aperture and into the groove or pocket. The thickness of the strip is chosen to cause a raising of the outer surface of the grip to form a rib therealong. The interior groove or pocket is formed by a rib formed on a core or mandrel employed in molding of the grip. Upon removal of the mandrel after molding, the groove or pocket and aperture are left in the grip for receiving the rigid strip.

BACKGROUND

In recent times, it has been found desirable to provide a raised portionor rib along the direction of elongation of the flexible golf club gripto promote correct club alignment for the user of the club. Flexiblegolf club grips are typically made of molded elastomer, and, in themanufacture of such flexible grips for golf clubs, it has been founddesirable, upon removal of the flexible grip from the curing mold, tobuff the outer surface of the grip to remove any mold release compoundand to provide a textured surface for enhancing the gripability. Thebuffing operation has been found to remove excessive amounts of theelastomeric material forming the raised portion or rib along the grip;and, has thus made it challenging to control the height of the raisedportion or rib as it relates to USGA/R&A rules in the finished product.

Heretofore, the raised rib on a flexible golf club grip has beenprovided by forming a groove in the mold core or mandrel which, uponmolding, provides a rib on the internal periphery of the flexible grip.Upon removal of the grip from the mold after curing, and subsequentassembly onto the shaft of the golf club, the internal rib causes theouter periphery of the flexible grip to be distorted and raisedtherealong to provide the external rib on the outer periphery. Theexternal rib thus formed is accomplished by distorting the material ofthe flexible grip and has resulted in the inability to control the sizeand configuration of the rib which has been found to be undesirable fromboth an aesthetic and gripability standpoint. Thus, it has been desiredto provide a way or means of forming a rib along the outer periphery ofthe flexible golf club grip in a manner which enables control of theheight and configuration of the rib in the molded elastomeric grip.

Referring to FIGS. 7 and 8, the technique for providing an external ribon the flexible golf club grip employed in the prior art is illustratedwherein a mandrel 1 has a longitudinal groove 2 formed therein on theexterior thereof; and, uncured elastomeric material 3 is disposed on themandrel with the material entering the groove 2 to form an internal ribon the flexible grip. The mandrel with uncured elastomer is then placedin a mold comprising an upper section 4 and a lower section 5 and themold is closed and heated to effect curing of the elastomeric grip. Uponremoval of the mandrel and grip from the mold after curing, the mandrel1 is removed from the grip. Upon completion of any finishing operations,the grip is then assembled over the shaft of a golf club, denoted byreference numeral 6 in FIG. 8, and the cured grip 7 is subsequentlyreceived over the club shaft 6 such that the rib formed on the internalperiphery of the grip causes the grip to be distorted and produces therib 8.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

The present disclosure describes a flexible elastomeric grip and methodof making same for a golf club and is of the type having a longitudinalrib or raised portion provided on the outer periphery thereof forenhancing club alignment. In one version, the elastomeric grip of thepresent disclosure has a groove formed longitudinally therein on theinner periphery during molding. The groove is formed by providing a ribon a core or mandrel employed for molding of the tubular flexible grip.Upon removal of the grip from the mold after curing, the mandrel isremoved and thus the groove is formed on the inner periphery.

The molded grip has an aperture provided in the closed end thereofproviding access to an end of the internal groove or pocket formedtherealong. Subsequently, upon assembly to a club shaft, a relativelythin strip of rigid material is inserted through the aperture and intothe groove along the grip. The strip is configured to provide asufficient interference fit in the groove in the radial direction so asto effect stretching or raising of the material therealong to form anrib on the outer periphery of the flexible grip. The size or height andshape of the external rib is therefore determined by the dimensions andshape of the rigid strip inserted in the groove.

In another version, a longitudinal pocket if formed in the grip that isa portion of the length of the grip. This pocket is formed via asecondary core attached to the main corebar at two or more pointsallowing the elastomer to encase the secondary core to form a sealedpocket. The end of the pocket coincides with the aperture formed in theclosed end; and, upon assembly of the molded grip onto the club shaft,the rigid strip is inserted through the aperture and into the pocket toform a raised rib on the exterior of the grip.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 is a perspective view of the finished grip of one version of thepresent disclosure; with a portion broken away to show the internalgroove;

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the arrangement for molding the grip ofFIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a portion of a section view taken along section indicatinglines 3-3 and shows the arrangement of the material in the mold whenclosed in preparation for curing;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the grip of the present disclosure whenassembled on the shaft of a golf club with the rigid strip beinginserted therein;

FIG. 5 is a section view taken along section indicating lines 5-5 ofFIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a block flow diagram of the process of compression molding thegrip of the present disclosure;

FIG. 7 is an exploded perspective view of the technique of molding agrip in the prior art;

FIG. 8 is a transverse section view of a prior art grip assembled onto agolf club shaft;

FIG. 9 is an exploded view of an alternative arrangement for molding ofanother version of the grip of the present disclosure;

FIG. 10 is enlarged detail of the corebar arrangement of FIG. 9;

FIG. 11 is a portion of a section view taken along section indicatinglines 11-11 of FIG. 9 and shows the arrangement of the material in themold when closed in preparation for curing;

FIG. 12 is a portion of another version of a molded grip of the presentdisclosure;

FIG. 13 is a section view taken along section indicating lines 13-13 ofFIG. 12; and

FIG. 14 is a block flow diagram of an alternate method of injectionmolding the grip of the present disclosure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

Referring to FIG. 1, a flexible golf grip formed of elastomeric materialis indicated generally at 10 and has a substantially closed end 12 and ahollow tubular configuration with the inner wall 14 thereof formed witha longitudinally extending groove, which groove is denoted by referencenumeral 16. The closed end 12 of the flexible grip 10 has an aperture 18formed therein which is located and configured to align with thelongitudinal groove 16. The aperture 18 thus provides communication withan end of the groove 16. The provision and function of the groove willhereinafter be described in greater detail.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3, a core or mandrel 20 which has formedtherealong a raised portion or rib 22 which extends therealong isprovided for molding. The diameter of the mandrel 20 is chosen to enablethe cured or vulcanized grip to be assembled over the shaft of a golfclub with a slight interference fit to provide retention of the griponto the club shaft. The rib 22, is dimensioned and shaped to provide adesired internally formed groove as denoted by reference numeral 16 inFIG. 1. The mandrel has disposed or wrapped thereon a suitable amount ofuncured elastomeric material of a composition to provide the desiredhardness or durometer for the finished grip 10. The elastomeric materialis indicated by reference numeral 24 in FIG. 2.

With continuing reference to FIG. 2, a mold indicated generally at 26 isshown in opened or exploded configuration; and, the mold includes anupper section 28, a lower section 30, and an end mold section 32 whichhas a lug or pin 34 extending from a face thereof. The lug or pin 34 islocated, configured and sized to coincide with the aperture 18 (see FIG.1); and, the section 32 forms, in cooperation with the end of themandrel 20, the closed end 12 of the flexible grip. Alternatively, thepin 34 could be provided on the end (not visible in FIG. 2) of themandrel 22. The mold 26 of FIG. 2 is then closed and clamped to providecompression on the uncured elastomeric material 24 to form the desiredconfiguration for the grip 10. The mold 26 and is then heated to effectvulcanization or curing of the elastomeric material.

Referring to FIG. 3, the end of the closed mold with the elastomericmaterial disposed therein is shown to provide the aperture 14 during themolding operation. Upon completion of the molding, the mold is openedand the cured elastomer upon the mandrel 20 is removed from the mold;and, the mandrel 20 is then removed from the cured grip 10 whereupon therib 22, on the mandrel leaves the groove 16 formed on the interior ofthe cured grip and also the aperture 12 formed by pin 34.

Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5, the cured grip 10 is shown assembled overthe shaft 36 of a golf club; and, a relatively thin strip of rigidmaterial 38 is received through the aperture 18 and into the groove 16with a predetermined interference fit to effect stretching or raising ofthe material of the wall 14 of the grip in the radial direction in sucha manner as to form therealong an rib 40.

In the present practice, it has been found satisfactory to form the grip10 elastomeric material having a durometer hardness in the range of25-75 on the Shore “A” scale. In the present practice, it has been foundsatisfactory to utilize a rigid strip 38 having a width in the range of2 to 9 millimeters and a thickness in the range of 0.127 to 1.016millimeters. It has also been found satisfactory to form the strip 38 ofone of (i) Metal, (ii) Plastic, and (iii) composite material. The strip38 may have a uniform cross-section therealong; or, the cross-section orthickness may be varied therealong to provide a changing shape to therib.

Referring to FIG. 6, the process of manufacturing the grip bycompression molding and installing on a golf club is indicated in blockflow diagram, wherein at step 42 the mandrel or core with rib isfabricated and uncured elastomer is applied over the mandrel at step 44.The mandrel with the uncured elastomer is inserted into a suitable moldat step 46 and is compression molded to the configuration of a grip withthe aperture in the closed end at step 48. The mold is then heated andthe uncured elastomer vulcanized or cured to form a grip at step 50.Upon completion of the curing, the mandrel and grip are removed from themold and the mandrel removed from the grip at step 52. The cured grip isthen installed onto the end of golf club shaft at step 54; and, therigid strip inserted through the aperture in the closed end of the gripinto the groove, to form the raised rib on the grip at step 56.

Referring to FIGS. 9, 10, 11, and 12, an alternative version of the gripof the present disclosure is indicated generally at 80 shown installedon a club shaft 89 and has a rigid strip 82 received therein through theclosed end 84 thereof which strip is received in a pocket 86 formed inthe grip radially intermediate the inner periphery 88 and the outersurface thereof.

Referring to FIGS. 9, 10, and 11, a mandrel or corebar 90 has asecondary corebar 92 extending therealong in radially spacedarrangement; and, the secondary corebar 92 extends from the end section94 of a mold comprising upper section 96 and lower section 98. Thesecondary corebar 92 has its free end engaging a support 100 provided onthe mandrel 90 so as to maintain the secondary corebar 92 in spacedrelationship with the mandrel 90 when the mold is closed. The mandrel 90and the secondary corebar 92 are wrapped with uncured elastomer 102;and, the mold is closed thereover to compress the elastomer and cause itto flow between the secondary corebar 92 and the mandrel 90 so as toform the pocket 86 along a portion of the length of the grip. Theconfiguration is illustrated in the cross-section in FIG. 11.

The closed mold as shown in FIG. 11 is then heated to effect curing orvulcanization of the elastomer; and, the end section of the mold 94 andthe secondary corebar 92 are then removed from the cured elastomer alongwith the mandrel 90 and the support 100 to form the completed grip ofFIG. 12.

With reference to FIG. 13, the completed grip 80 is shown incross-section as assembled over a club shaft 89; and, the raised portionof the outer periphery of the grip 80 is shown in FIG. 13 as forming arib 106 therealong.

Referring to FIG. 14, alternately it is possible to mold the grip byinjection molding where an unshown mold assembly is brought together atstep 58 and sealed at step 60 in an injection mold cavity, beforeuncured elastomer is injected into the cavity at step 62 and held attemperature at step 64 to allow curing to take place to form the grip.

Upon completion of the curing, the mandrel and grip are removed from themold and the mandrel removed from the grip at step 66. The cured grip isthen installed onto the end of the golf club shaft at step 68; and, therigid strip inserted through the aperture in the closed end of the gripand into the grip or pocket to form the raised rib on the grip at step70.

The flexible elastomeric grip of the present disclosure thus has araised portion or rib formed along the outer periphery thereof byinsertion of a strip through an aperture in the closed end and into aninternal groove in one version and in another version into a pocketformed in the grip to raise a portion of the periphery of the grip toform a rib of desired height and configuration therealong for enhancinggripability. The formation of the raised rib is by the insertion of astrip after the grip is assembled onto the golf club shaft and thuspermits the grip outer periphery to be buffed after removal from themold without causing any deformation of the desired rib since the rib isnot yet formed at that stage of the manufacture. The dimensions andconfiguration of the rib are thus determined by the insertion of therigid strip.

The exemplary embodiment has been described and illustrated withreference to the drawings. Obviously, modifications and alterations willoccur to others upon reading and understanding the preceding detaileddescription. It is intended that the exemplary embodiment be construedas including all such modifications and alterations insofar as they comewithin the scope of the appended claims or the equivalents thereof.

The invention claimed is:
 1. A flexible grip for use on a golf clubcomprising: (a) an elongated tubular member formed of elastomericmaterial having a substantially closed end and an open end adapted forbeing received over the shaft of the golf club wherein the substantiallyclosed end has an aperture therein on an outer surface of the grip whenthe substantially close end is closed, and wherein the aperture andclosed end are at a longitudinal end of the grip; (b) a void formed inthe tubular member, wherein the void extends at least a portion of thelength of the member, wherein the aperture communicates with the void;and, (c) a strip of rigid material, wherein upon assembly of the griponto the club shaft, the strip is inserted through the aperture into thevoid whereby the region of the outer periphery of the grip over the voidis raised to form a rib along the outer periphery of the grip.
 2. Thegrip of claim 1, wherein the strip has a width in the range of 2 to 9millimeters.
 3. The grip of claim 1, wherein the strip has a thicknessin the range of 0.127 to 1.016 millimeters.
 4. The grip of claim 1,wherein the strip is formed of one of (i) metal, (ii) plastic, and (iii)composite material.
 5. The grip of claim 1, wherein the strip has thethickness thereof varied along the length thereof.
 6. The grip of claim1, wherein the tubular member is formed of elastomeric material having adurometer hardness in the range of 25-75 on the Shore “A” scale.
 7. Theflexible grip of claim 1, wherein the void comprises a pocket formedintermediate the inner and outer periphery of the tubular member.
 8. Thegrip of claim 7, wherein the strip has a width in the range of 2 to 9millimeters.
 9. The grip of claim 7, wherein the strip has a thicknessin the range of 0.127 to 1.016 millimeters.
 10. The flexible grip ofclaim 1, wherein the void comprises a groove formed on the innerperiphery of the tubular member.